Senior caregivers usually have very busy schedules. Professional caregivers have the added challenge of needing to be sure to arrive 5 minutes early for their senior care jobs. As seniors will quickly become distressed if a caregiver is not on time, most companies require early arrival.
This means coffee-drinking usually comes with the territory of senior care. In addition, sharing a cup of coffee with a senior also can be part of a daily routine. And now that there is a Starbucks on nearly every corner of major cities, stopping in for a cup of joe can also be enticing, even when you weren’t planning to do so.
As everyone is focusing on new goals for the new year, there is good news that coffee does have some health benefits.
Coffee’s Health Benefits
- Memory Enhancement: 3 or more cups of coffee a day can reduce the threat of Alzheimer’s and dementia by up to 65%. Coffee releases a substance called GCSF which assists to clean away the plaque build-up that is present in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients.
- Heart Health: 1 to 2 cups daily makes your blood vessels expand and contract better with each heart beat.
- Fights Diabetes: as coffee consumption goes up, diabetes risk goes down. Drinking 4 four cups daily improves insulin’s effects and reduces your diabetes risk by 1/3rd.
- Prevents Strokes: Drinking 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day may cut your stroke risk by up to 19%.
- Reduces Cancer Risk: Research is showing that coffee is a really potent weapon against cancer. For women, the latest research suggests drinking 4 cups of coffee a day may lower their risk of endometrial cancer by up 25%. Postmenopausal women who sip at least 5 cups a day may cut their risk of certain types of breast cancer in half. For men, both caffeinated and decaf coffee may fend off prostate cancer. And for both sexes, 3 cups of coffee a day may help fight the most common skin cancer, basal cell.
If you received a new coffee maker for Christmas, or maybe have one of the Keurig K-Cup brewers in your office (which can definitely become addictive), this means even drinking 3 cups of coffee, or more, each day will be perfectly fine. In fact, it will be good for your health according to this latest research.
Caregivers usually have coffee included as a free benefit by their clients, so drink up and enjoy and explore new varieties and flavors.
Remember that coffee is considered a “natural” drink and because of this, has advantages over other unnatural ways of obtaining caffeine, such as drinking carbonated soda pop (some people call it “pop” and some people call it “soda”, I am from a soda drinking area, but just wanted to make sure you know I am referring to Diet Coke, Rootbeer, and you know, soda……..we always have fun teasing our Minnesota cousins who ask for a “pop”, which to us is the same as a spanking, not something you drink).
Enjoy a cup of coffee while studying for Caregiver Certification or obtaining your Certified Nursing Aide certification as you develop your career as a senior caregiver. As senior care companies are constantly hiring new caregivers, you may also apply for a senior care job near you. And remember, a cup of coffee a day, or 2 or 3 or 4, may keep the doctor away.
